"Toothless, where are you taking me?" Asked Hiccup for the hundredth time as Toothless flew back to him and warbled earnestly at him. Then she flew back to her place in the lead and lighted on a branch, whistling and chirping at him. He smiled at her adorable figure and squeezed through the bushes and tried not to get caught in the vines as she reached the place where his draconic lady perched. She pecked him on the forehead and flew to a different branch, further ahead. He huffed and followed her. "Some people follow the stars or a map; no, not me, I get to follow a dragon!"

Something caught on his face and he flailed around, trying to find the source of the fine strands irritating his skin. Then he realized what it was and began combing his hair for the spider that wove the web nestled in his hair and draped across his face. Toothless laughed as he danced in place, trying to find something that was in fact, hanging by a thread from the branch the web had been attached to and nowhere on her husband. He realized that a moment after she did and glowered at her. She just laughed and flew to a branch out of reach of his vengeful hands.

He chased after her for a good five minutes, convinced she had led him right into that web. He moved much faster, crashing through the underbrush and tripping several times, although he caught himself each time. Finally, he barreled out of the woods and into a clearing with Toothless looking at him expectantly from the middle.

He scowled at her. "Some birthday this turned to be. My dad gave me an ax I can't even lift and Hamish gave me a crutch. Does he honestly think I need it?" Toothless stopped walking towards where she'd hidden the night fury skin and bounced back to her husband, curling up beside him. He reached down and rubbed where the flesh pressed into the prosthetic. "I mean, I've been missing my leg for over two years now. It's healed, and I'm used to it. He doesn't need to rub in the fact that I'm…well, you know." She reached up and licked the tip of his chin. His frown switched places with a smile and he giggled at her. "I'll bet you have such a great gift for me that we had to come all the way out here for you to give it to me!" She laughed at that. Hiccup had no idea just how right he was.

Hiccup reached a hand out to scratch her nose, but she dodged and swayed so the outstretched fingers rested on her wedding chain instead, the clasp in particular. "You want me to take this off?" He asked, recognizing the gesture from numerous bedtimes. She chirped in confirmation and he removed the necklace. Picking it up in her mouth, she flew into the forest to change.

Hiccup watched her go and, after about five minutes, reclined on his back to wait. He admired the clear sky and the way the setting sun painted the sky a myriad of colors when a rustle sounded behind him. Oh great. Now he was going to get eaten. But just as he was about to run, something glinted gold from the bushes. He laughed. "Toothless, you can come out now. I'm not falling for…" And a huge black beast emerged from the forest.

Hiccup ran.

Over logs, through thorns, spider webs all over him but he didn't care because there was a huge black dragon back in that clearing and it wanted to eat him! A root tripped him and he tumbled forward, but was back on his feet and running again before the pain from the fall even registered past the panic. He reached a thin spot in the trees and suddenly the beast was there again, in front of him this time, cutting off his escape back to the castle. He started to run back. He'd loop around, get past a different way.

The dragon whimpered.

He stopped in his tracks. He knew that sound.

Slowly, heart still racing, he turned around and looked more closely at the beast. It really was beautiful, with a deep black color mixing with a little grey and massive wings that probably gave it incredible speed.

The dragon leaned forward slightly and dropped something one the ground. It lowered its gaze and backed away, letting Hiccup approach the item on the ground. It clinked when he picked it up, never taking his eyes from the dragon. Quickly, he glanced down and saw the source of the gold glint from earlier. It was Toothless' wedding chain. But there had been no sound of a struggle, not even a wisp of wind, something that would have come in gusts if this dragon had attacked from the sky. So why did it have Toothless' necklace?

He looked back up and big green eyes met his, exactly the same shade as the little dragon's who'd said yes almost a year ago. "Toothless?" She roared her yes to the skies and jumped around him, hopping and twisting in her delight. "How?" he asked, eyes wide. She just grinned at him. That is for me to know and you to find out. He smiled. "So you decided to show off and give me a birthday present at the same time?" She whacked him gently in the back of the head with her long black tail. "Okay!" He shielded his heads with his hands for a minute, but brought them back towards her in a hug. "Love, thank you." He backed out of the embrace, reached up and took her now much bigger face in his hands. "You are amazing." And he pressed his lips to hers.

A shiver traveled down her spine all the way to the tip of her tail at the contact. It was the first time Hiccup had initiated such an action between them. She melted into it, letting all four legs give out beneath her, although the tip of her tail rose into the air, fins fully fanned out. After a moment, Hiccup broke the content. "Well, shall we head back now?" She nodded before gesturing at her back. What she wanted was quite clear.

He glanced at the leathery wings and back to her. "Are you sure I won't hurt you or unbalance you." She snorted the very idea that someone as small as Hiccup could affect her flight was laughable. So he got on, hesitantly gripped her biggest ear flaps. She grinned to herself. This boy had no idea what he was in for. She crouched and with a powerful leap, launched into the heavens with a screaming Hiccup aboard.

They'll go flying next chapter.